Shoulder bridges - too long?

[Jorran]

Based on the excellent, quick replies I got in my last shoulder bridges thread, I set out to attach my bridges this weekend. I got set to place them in front and have my wife trace a guide outline so I could glue them in the correct spot. As I held them in front and looked in the mirror, I noticed that they hung REALLY low in the back. I took a tour through a couple dozen EI ANH build applications and didn't see any that look like this.

 

(A couple notes: [1] when I did my test fitting I had my under armor on, so fear not when you see the t-shirt in the following images; [2] one of my quirky features is that my left shoulder is considerably higher than my right shoulder, which is leading to a bit of asymmetry in the way the chest and back sits.)

 

Photo Evidence (sorry for the blurry images)

 

I'm holding the bridge where I think it should go in front. This placement makes it so the sixth bump is right at the end of the chest plate. Having it here, the front end of the bridge is right on top of where the pectoral area starts rising out of the chest plate.

 

 

Turning to the back, you can see the bridge floating. I put a red line in the picture to show how far down the bridge comes when it's pressed down in back. I know that the bridge isn't secured in the back, but instead held in place with clear elastic or heated to fit. The thing is, when bent into place, the bridge actually sits on top of the upper corner of the OII detail.

 

 

This seems like it's way too long when compared to other suits, but I'm not sure what can be done to correct it. Any advice? Is this something that I should even be worrying about?

[tkrestonva[TK]]

As long as the shoulder bridges are properly placed in the front, I wouldn't worry so much about the rear. Maybe you can shift the back plate down a bit (as long as you don't end up covering the kidney plate with the back plate), but otherwise it is where it is.

 

If you look at screen caps from ANH, you'll find they're all over the place as well.

[zsavk[TK]]

For ANH Stunt I believe you actually cut off that square on the back. Ill look around but Im pretty sure I read that somewhere here.

[zsavk[TK]]

Yep you cut it off the back only.

You should have 5 small ribs on the front of the chest piece and the large flat rectangle.

 

To hold the strap neatly in place at the back, a simple piece of thin white elastic is what they used in the movie.

 

 

 

 

[Jorran]

That's interesting you show that because in my other thread [Linky] I was instructed to NOT cut off that last block. Now I'm a little confused. That picture is pretty convincing.

Edited December 4, 2020 by gmrhodes13
link not working, removed gmrhodes13 2020

[zsavk[TK]]

I guess its personal choice. But any ANH screen grabs you can find showing the back will have it cut off.

 

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Edited December 4, 2020 by gmrhodes13
link not working, removed gmrhodes13 2020

[tkrestonva[TK]]

It looks like in that middle photo the trooper in the foreground has his full shoulder bridge intact. For the others, I'd agree - it looks like the flat part has been trimmed. In addition, the ANH Stunt requirements specifically state one way or another what is should be.

 

It seems you can indeed make a case for doing it either way.

[dashrazor]

got your message..i would say if it doesn't look right to you, just cut it off. but i would get you strapping all worked out before making the cut. looking through past EI threads and the screens, it seems that larger troopers tend to keep the flat area in the back, where generally the skinny or shorter troopers tend cut them off. but like i said adjust your strapping and make sure it looks ok and that the chest and back are properly aligned before cutting it off. you can always trim later, but once you cut you cannot stretch it to fit if it is too short

[Jorran]

Thanks for the feedback, all. I'm definitely on the skinnier side, so I'm trending towards removing it. But like you suggested Mason, I'll finish out the rest of the strapping and see where things fall before making the fatal cut.